Controlled gaming between registered and unregistered players

ABSTRACT

In at least one aspect, methods and corresponding systems operable to perform the methods are provided herein that allow multiple players, registered and unregistered, to play a game wherein players submit predictions for box office revenue for a plurality of films and, in certain instances, are awarded points for the proximity of the prediction to actual revenues.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/104,166 filed Apr. 16, 2008 which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/912,012, filed Apr. 16, 2007, which arehereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to games, playable among a plurality ofplayers each attempting to achieve a greater score than another of theplayers.

SUMMARY

In at least one aspect, methods and corresponding systems operable toperform the methods are provided that include the step or steps of:receiving from a computing device associated with an unregistered playera prediction for a variable associated with each of a plurality offilms; generating a unique identifier automatically for the unregisteredplayer; causing a data file to be stored on the computing deviceassociated with the unregistered player, the data file comprising theunique identifier for the unregistered player; retrieving a result ofthe predictions for the unregistered player based on the uniqueidentifier stored in the data file; communicating the results to theunregistered player; receiving from a computing device associated with aregistered player a prediction for a variable associated with each of aplurality of films; retrieving a result of the predictions for theregistered player based on a unique identifier set by the registeredplayer; and communicating the results to the registered player. Variousvariables may be predicted, such as box office revenue for the film foran amount of time, such as opening weekend or the weekend followingopening weekend.

In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises communicating alist of a plurality of new releases and wherein the predictions from theunregistered and registered players are for each of the plurality of newreleases. The list may further include at least one holdover and whereinthe predictions from the unregistered and registered players are furtherfor the at least one holdover.

In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises determining ascore for the registered player based on the results of the predictionsfor the registered player, wherein the score is computed based on sum ofat least a first score applied to predictions within a first range of anactual value of the variable and a second score applied to predictionswithin a second range of the actual value of the variable.

In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises causing aninterface screen to be displayed at the computing device associated withthe unregistered and registered users, the interface screen comprising alisting of films and a form element adjacent to each of the films forthe players to specify their predictions.

In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises determining anaverage of predictions of a plurality of players and communicating theaverage to at least one of the unregistered and the registered players.

In at least one embodiment, the method further comprises communicatingonly to registered players a leader board comprising a listing of otherregistered players having a best score for a period of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts a system according to at least one embodiment of thesystems disclosed herein; and

FIGS. 2-4 depict a plurality of interfaces according to at least oneembodiment of the methods and systems disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a system 100 according to at least one embodimentof the systems disclosed herein includes at least one computing device,such as a remote computer 118, e.g., a server computer, a client device113, or a combination thereof. The computing device generally includesat least one processor 102, and a memory 104, such as ROM, RAM, FLASH,etc., or any computer readable medium 106, such as a hard drive, aflash-drive, an optical or magnetic disk, etc. The memory 104 orcomputer readable medium 106 preferably includes software stored thereonthat when executed performs one or more steps of the methods disclosedherein, including communicating data back and forth between devices,displaying interface screens, etc. The computing device may also beassociated with or have access to one or more databases for retrievingand storing the various types of data discussed herein.

In one embodiment, the system 100 includes a plurality of computingdevice, such as a remote computer 118 coupled to at least one clientdevice 113 over a communication network 116, which are generallyconfigured or otherwise capable of transmitting and/or receivingcommunications to and/or from each other. The term remote in thiscontext merely means that the remote computer 118 and the client device113 are separate from each other. Thus, the devices may be remote evenif the devices are located within the same room. As such, the clientdevice 113 is preferably configured or otherwise capable of transmittingand/or receiving communications to and/or from the remote computer 118.This may be accomplished with a communication element 124, such as amodem, an Ethernet interface, a transmitter/receiver, etc., that enablescommunication with a similarly equipped remote computer 118, wirelessly,wired, or a combination thereof. It is understood that the relativefunctionality described herein may be provided by the remote computer118, by the client device 113, or both, and is thus not limited to anyone implementation discussed herein.

The client devices 113 may include, without limitation, a mobile phone,PDA, pocket PC, personal computer, as well as any special or generalpurpose client device, such as a slot machine, a video poker machine,video or computer-based versions of table games, e.g., roulette,blackjack, etc. As such, the client device 113 preferably includes aprocessor 122, a memory 123, a display 125, such as a CRT or an LCDmonitor, for displaying information and/or graphics associated with theservices provided by the system 100, and at least one input device, suchas a mouse, a touch-sensitive pad, a pointer, a stylus, a trackball, abutton, e.g., alphanumeric, a scroll wheel, a touch-sensitive monitor,etc., or a combination thereof, for users to enter commands and/orinformation relevant to the system's services. With the general purposetype client devices 113, such as the PC or PDA, users may access theservices provided by the system 100, e.g., the remote computer 118, witha browser or any other generic application, or with special purposesoftware designed specifically for accessing and providing the servicesdisclosed herein.

In at least one embodiment, the system 100 provides one or more levelsof service. In a first level, a base-level, players are not required toregister in order to participate in gameplay. In the base-level, theservice may include the ability for the base-level user to play the game(e.g., entering a box office prediction) and to view the results ofprevious play(s) (e.g., the results of previous predictions, such as aprevious week's predictions). Those who want to take advantage of thefull game-experience, including reviewing related content, appearing onthe Leader Board, or win prizes will need to register and select aunique username.

In at least one embodiment, the system 100 provides allows users to playa box office game in which, players submit predictions for a value ofvariable associated with a film achieving a certain level at a latertime. For example, each week players may have the opportunity to submitweekend box office estimates for a selected group of a plurality of,e.g., five, films representing new releases for the upcoming weekendand/or major holdovers. Players preferably earn points when theirestimates come close to the actual value of the variable at the latertime. The closer the estimate to the actual, the greater the amount ofpoints may be awarded. For example, predictions may be awarded 1 pointif they are within 25%, 2 points if they are within 10%, and 3 points ifthey hit the nail on the head, i.e., the prediction is essentially equalto the actual value of the variable.

For example, if the actual weekend box office is:

Charlotte's Web $55,600,000 Eragon $17,300,000 Night at the Museum$62,900,000 Rocky Balboa $18,400,000 We are Marshall $24,700,000

Then:

Charlotte's Web $66,100,000 Eragon $26,200,000 Night at the Museum$76,000,000 Rocky Balboa $9,200,000 We are Marshall $24,700,000

Trader A

Charlotte's Web $55,000,000 Eragon $18,400,000 Night at the Museum$61,200,000 Rocky Balboa $28,100,000 We are Marshall $20,600,000

Trader B

In this instance, Trade A earns 5 points for his/her predictions, 3 forWe Are Marshall, and 1 each for Charlotte's Web and Night of the Museum,and Trader B earns 7 points, 2 each for Charlotte's Web, Eragon, andNight of the Museum, and 1 for We Are Marshall.

In one embodiment, players may enter their estimates of the upcomingweekend's box office for the selected films in an interface screen thatincludes a listing of the selected films and a box or other form elementto the left or otherwise adjacent to each listed title, as shown in FIG.2, for players to enter predictions. The listing may include a briefdescriptive snippet of the film and a link to the other pages thatexplain how to play the game plus any necessary legal notifications.

The listed titles may be a list of “Hot 5!” films—representing the topwide release films and major holdovers, which may be listed inalphabetical order. Players will preferably be able to enter thepredicted weekend box office in millions in the form element, to onedecimal point. Thus, $21,100,000 would be represented as $21.1 M. Once aplayer is satisfied with his/her entries he/she will press a Play orother button, which will communicate the predictions to the system 100.

Various point schemes may be used in scoring players performance. In oneembodiment, a listing of movie pairs may be communicated to players,e.g., 5 movie pairs. Players may thereafter predict which of the twomovie pairs had or will have a greater box office revenue, e.g., for theopening weekend. Each selection is preferably time so that the playerhas a limited amount of time, e.g., 20 seconds, to select one of each ofthe communicated pair. After each selection of one of the movie pairs,the next of the movie pair may be communicated and/or displayed insuccession for the player's selection. Alternatively, instead ofselecting one of two movie pairs, players may be asked to select acertain number, e.g., 5, of the top films based on opening or otherweekend revenues. Total score may, in these instances, be the total ofthe correct selections for a session or multiple sessions.

In one embodiment, a database or other application may then be used tocreate remotely a unique identifier for the player and store thatidentifier in a cookie or other data file on the player's computer. Theunique identifier is preferably computer generated, without any directinvolvement from the player. That is, the unique identifier may berandomly generated by the system 100. Additionally, the system 100 maygenerate the unique identifier using player specific data as a seed orotherwise. For example, a mac address or IP address assigned to a clientcomputer associated with the unregistered user may be set as the uniqueID or used as a basis for the unique ID. The unique identifier may laterbe used to check the results of the game. That is, the unique identifiermay be used to query a game database for the particular player's latestpredictions and the results of any previous predictions. Prior to theclose of the game, the results of the query may be used to populate aninterface screen that compares the player's predictions to that of thecurrent average of other player's predictions, as shown in FIG. 3. Whenthe player returns to the site the following week, following the closeof the game, the player may be shown an interface screen with theresults of previous predictions shown therein, such as the screen shownin FIG. 4, which includes a comparison of the player's prediction to theactual box office value. FIG. 4 may generally be used for casual playerswho have not registered, which may display an hit or miss, or other noteindicating whether or not the particular player predicted a value withina certain range to be considered a hit, e.g., such as +/−1%, 2%, . . . ,25%.

A game that does not require a log in, i.e., relying on cookies to trackplayer activity, has technical considerations. First, players that donot accept cookies or that delete them will either be unable to play thegame or see their results without registration. Second, players who login from a computer different from the one they made their predictions onwill not be able to see their results. Therefore, registered gameplaymay be desired by certain players. Registration generally entails havingthe player set a login ID and password, which may be used to query thedatabase for player specific data, such as latest predictions and theresults of any previous predictions. Moreover, registered players may bedirected to a page that contains additional information, such as aLeader Board that includes a listing of players from the plurality ofplayers that are participating in playing the game with best scores forthe week or cumulative for a period of time and the player's overall ortotal score. In certain embodiments, players may be given an opportunityto exchange points for a prize or similar benefits. Therefore,registered players may be directed to a page that provides a prizestatus and form and other elements for the player to exchange points forprizes. The interface may further include a “research” link that directsregistered or other players to content on HSX.com or another researchsite or sites that may assist the players in their predictions. Theresearch site(s) may provide news, reviews and interviews from contentproviders, plus estimates from the HSX prediction market and links toassociated HSX MovieStock® pages.

The registration process will preferably be a brief process that meetsTRUSTe standards for use of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).Registration may be limited to those age 13 and over. Other agerestrictions may be applied, if necessary, to meet prize or advertisingsponsor requirements. Registered players may also be able to track theirpicks from week to week, compare their weekly and seasonal totalsagainst other players, communicate with other players via postingboards, and participate in any prize offerings.

While the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity and understanding, it will be appreciated by oneskilled in the art, from a reading of the disclosure, that variouschanges in form and detail can be made without departing from the truescope of the invention in the appended claims.

1. A method comprising: receiving by at least one processor from anunregistered player via a computing device in use by the unregisteredplayer a prediction for a variable associated with each of a pluralityof events; generating by the at least one processor a unique identifierautomatically for the unregistered player; causing by the at least oneprocessor a data file to be stored on the computing device in use by theunregistered player, the data file comprising the unique identifier forthe unregistered player; retrieving by the at least one processor aresult of the predictions for the unregistered player based on theunique identifier stored in the data file; communicating by the at leastone processor the result to the unregistered player via the computingdevice; receiving by the at least one processor from a registered playervia a computing device in use by the registered player a prediction fora variable associated with each of a plurality of events; retrieving bythe at least one processor a result of the predictions for theregistered player based on a unique identifier associated with theregistered player; and communicating by the at least one processor theresult of the predictions for the registered player to the registeredplayer.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality ofevents comprises a film and wherein the variable associated with each ofthe plurality of films comprises box office revenue for the film for anamount of time.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount of timecomprises an opening weekend.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein theamount of time comprises a weekend following an opening weekend.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising communicating a list of aplurality of new events and wherein the predictions from theunregistered and registered players are for each of the plurality of newevents.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality ofevents comprises a film, wherein the list comprises at least oneholdover and wherein the predictions from the unregistered andregistered players are further for the at least one holdover.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising determining a score for theregistered player based on the results of the predictions for theregistered player, wherein the score is computed based on sum of atleast a first score applied to predictions within a first range of anactual value of the variable and a second score applied to predictionswithin a second range of the actual value of the variable.
 8. The methodof claim 1, further comprising causing an interface screen to bedisplayed at the computing device associated with the unregistered andregistered players, the interface screen comprising a listing of eventsand a form element adjacent to each of the films for the players tospecify their predictions.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining an average of predictions of a plurality of players andcommunicating the average to at least one of the unregistered and theregistered players.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprisingcommunicating only to registered players a leader board comprising alisting of other registered players having a best score for a period oftime.
 11. A system comprising: at least one processor; and at least onememory device electronically coupled to the at least one processor andhaving software instructions stored thereon that when executed by the atleast one processor direct the at least one processor to: receive froman unregistered player via a computing device in use by the unregisteredplayer a prediction for a variable associated with each of a pluralityof events; generate a unique identifier automatically for theunregistered player; cause a data file to be stored on the computingdevice in use by the unregistered player, the data file comprising theunique identifier for the unregistered player; retrieve a result of thepredictions for the unregistered player based on the unique identifierstored in the data file; communicate the result to the unregisteredplayer via the computing device; receive from a registered player via acomputing device in use by the registered player a prediction for avariable associated with each of a plurality of events; retrieve aresult of the predictions for the registered player based on a uniqueidentifier associated with the registered player; and communicating theresult of the predictions for the registered player to the registeredplayer.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality ofevents comprises a film and wherein the variable associated with each ofthe plurality of films comprises box office revenue for the film for anamount of time.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the amount of timecomprises an opening weekend.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein theamount of time comprises a weekend following an opening weekend.
 15. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the software instructions, when executed bythe at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor tocommunicate a list of a plurality of new events and wherein thepredictions from the unregistered and registered players are for each ofthe plurality of new events.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein each ofthe plurality of events comprises a film, wherein the list comprises atleast one holdover and wherein the predictions from the unregistered andregistered players are further for the at least one holdover.
 17. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the software instructions, when executed bythe at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor todetermine a score for the registered player based on the results of thepredictions for the registered player, wherein the score is computedbased on sum of at least a first score applied to predictions within afirst range of an actual value of the variable and a second scoreapplied to predictions within a second range of the actual value of thevariable.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the software instructions,when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at leastone processor to cause an interface screen to be displayed at thecomputing device associated with the unregistered and registered users,the interface screen comprising a listing of events and a form elementadjacent to each of the films for the players to specify theirpredictions.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the softwareinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, furtherdirect the at least one processor to determine an average of predictionsof a plurality of players and communicating the average to at least oneof the unregistered and the registered players.
 20. The system of claim11, wherein the software instructions, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, further direct the at least one processor to communicate onlyto registered players a leader board comprising a listing of otherregistered players having a best score for a period of time.